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U.S. porcine virus cases top 300; U.K. issues warning
Story Date: 7/12/2013
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 7/11/13
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) now has hit 16 states and continues to spread, according to a report by the National Animal Health Laboratories Network.
There have been 331 confirmed cases since June 16 – with Iowa far outnumbering the other states at 130 confirmed cases. Nearly half of the 331 cases have been detected in grower/finisher pigs.
Ninety-two cases have been confirmed in Oklahoma, 31 in Minnesota, and a handful in the 15 other states. Those states are Arkansas (1), Colorado (8), Illinois (1), Indiana (11), Kansas (11), Michigan (3), Missouri (1), North Carolina (4), New York (1), Ohio (9), Pennsylvania (4), South Dakota (1) and Texas (1).
In May USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed that PEDV had been identified for the first time in the United States. PEDV is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and may appear to be the same as transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus with acute diarrhea within 12-36 hours of onset.
In the United Kingdom, the National Pig Association (NPA) is calling for pig farmers to adopt precautionary measures to keep the disease at bay. “Only absolutely essential visitors from overseas should be allowed onto pig farms and they must have entered Britain at least three days before the visit,” the NPA advised in a press release. “Similarly, if you are returning from overseas yourself, allow three days before considering yourself ‘pig-free.’”
The current outbreak in the Unites States is causing losses of up to 100 percent of affected piglets. The virus from the outbreak is said to be 99.4 percent similar to an outbreak in China that has killed more than a million piglets since October 2010.
The virus was first recognized in England in 1971. Since then, the disease has been identified in a number of European countries and Canada, and more recently in China, Korea and Japan.
There is no impact on pork, which remains safe to eat.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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